Field
The present invention relates generally to automotive wheel accessories and, more particularly, to a cap configured to connect to an existing automotive wheel.
Description of the Related Art
Wheeled vehicles commonly include wheel hub assemblies that are rotatably coupled to the vehicle's axles and threaded wheel studs protruding outward from wheel hub assemblies. The threaded wheel studs are configured to facilitate the attachment of wheels to the wheel hub assemblies. In particular, wheels commonly include a series of openings corresponding to the threaded wheel studs on the wheel hub assemblies such that the wheels may be slid onto the threaded wheel studs. Once the threaded wheel studs are received in the openings, the wheels may be secured to the wheel hub assemblies by a series of lug nuts screwed onto ends of the threaded wheel studs. Alternatively, the wheel hub assemblies may include a series of threaded holes and the wheels may be secured to the wheel hub assemblies of the vehicle by a series of lug bolts extending through the openings in the wheels and into the threaded holes in the wheel hub assemblies. Additionally, wheels also commonly include a center bore for receiving a hub protruding outward from the wheel hub assembly.
The number of threaded wheel studs or threaded holes in each wheel hub assembly typically varies depending upon the type of vehicle. For instance, custom-built high performance vehicles, commonly referred to as tuner vehicles, typically include eight to ten threaded wheel studs or threaded holes. In contrast, many luxury automobiles include only four or five wheel studs or threaded holes. Accordingly, the number of openings in the wheel typically varies based upon the type of vehicle on which the wheel is designed to be installed (e.g., wheels designed for luxury vehicles typically have four or five openings, which corresponds to the number of threaded studs or holes in the wheel hub assembly). Thus, a user's potential choice of wheels is typically limited to those wheels that have the appropriate number of openings. Alternatively, the user could purchase replacement wheel hub assemblies having the appropriate number of threaded wheel studs or threaded holes based upon the user's wheel selection. For instance, a user who desires to switch between tuner-style wheels and luxury wheels conventionally purchases two different sets of wheels and two different sets of wheel hub assemblies. However, purchasing two different sets of wheels and corresponding wheel hub assemblies, and storing the set not currently installed on the user's vehicle, is costly and inconvenient. Moreover, removing and replacing the vehicle's wheels and wheel hub assemblies is both time consuming and cumbersome.